Today I realized our fridge is starting to overflow with veggies from our garden. Greens take up a lot of room in there. We go through them rapidly, but as the garden continues to produce and with our CSA program getting ready to roll in later this month, I found myself looking for what to do with extras (besides putting them in the compost pile). I do get a little tired of green salads after eating them twice a day for weeks on end. But, I remind myself that I pine for fresh salad during the winter months when I’ve run out in the garden and the farmer’s market isn’t offering lettuce. So, with that rounded thought in mind, I make another salad. I saute another batch of greens. I whip up a jar of pesto, and I chop another radish. In the end, I enjoy every fresh, homemade meal. And, I do follow some of these ideas for making good use of any excess I produce: (more…)
Archive for the ‘Localvore’ Category
Garden Coach on What to do with Extras from the Veggie Bed
Friday, June 5th, 2009
Brassica Worm Pests and Pest Management
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009Cabbage Loopers, or maybe they’re Imported European Cabbage Worms, are back in my garden. Last year, I handpicked them vigilantly and didn’t sustain too much damage. This year I kept my crops covered with plastic hooping when it was really cold and floating row cover now that it is warmer.
Protective Row Cover Pulled Back Revealing Pest and Edibles
I’ve seen the white adult butterflies with their signature dotted wings flittering about my garden, looking for their favorite hosts (aka my cabbages and cauliflower). I thought the defenses were up and the crops were secured. Then, I pulled back the floating row cover in one bed to do some weeding, seeding and crop inspection. And, dang, there were a couple of worms chomping away. SQUISH! Now they’re gone and my organic veggies are barely damaged.
So, what’s the message? Well, if there’s any opening in the floating row cover, those egg-laying white wonders are going to get into the plants. In one bed, my row cover is tightly secured over hoops with no entry point available. In the infested bed, the row cover is somewhat secured but mostly just floating. That weak link in the chain of defense meant the invaders made their way in.
Now I’m checking daily (if not a couple times a day) for worms on my cabbages. And, the floating row cover is more secured in all areas.
The best part about picking off the worms? Seeing my cabbages starting to tighten up and form yummy purple balls and little buds of cauliflower beginning to appear amid the protective leaves. I think I might even harvest my first cabbage today. Not only will that make a tasty addition to my endless salads, but it will also open up a planting spot for one of my Butternut squashes that are ready to move out of the greenhouse and into the garden beds.
Easter Veggie Garden Harvest Including Easter Eggs
Sunday, April 12th, 2009Today, Easter, was our first big harvest out of the veggie garden in 2009. We’ve been stealing a few leaves from lettuces, spinach, sorrel and kale all winter. And, we’ve had herbs a-plenty throughout the freezes. But, today began what looks to be a bountiful year of fresh foods from the garden.
Easter 2009 Edible HArvest
Before we headed out to the farmer’s market this morning, we opened our hoop houses to let the lettuce, spinach, kale, cauliflower, chard and cabbage drink in the heavenly downpour that arrived today. There’s nothing like water from the sky (rather than the spigot) to make a plant happy. I took note that it is time to start harvesting lettuces, near-flowering dinosaur kale that had overwintered, sorrel that is spreading, and that spinach is just days away. This meant huge savings for us at the market.
After I returned from the market with potatoes, carrots, hot cross buns, a dozen eggs and a couple loaves of local bread, I donned my gardening gear and braved the downpour. I divided and transplanted lettuces from 4″ pots to gallons and from gallons to larger decorative containers. Then I potted up cauliflower and cabbage into gallon containers to give them some more space. I moved tomatoes from sterile mix to 4″ pots. And I topped everything with vermicompost from our wormbin, and I watered everything in. I took a quick peek at the sterile starts from last weekend and found basil and corn germinating readily. Curbits, cilantro, and beans are poking along a bit more slowly. I set out some egg crates and compostable takeaway containers filled with sterile mix & watered those to soak so I can seed zinnia, marigolds, sunflowers and more beans soon.
Easter Eggs for the Gardener
Then, I looked around and asked my beautiful garden for dinner table volunteers. Kale waved its budding tips suggesting I pull them before the flowers made them more bitter. Heads of buttercrunch lettuce threatened to squirm out of their too-tight pots in order to plop into my basket. Sorrel shot upward into my hands. Pansies winked their colorful eyes just begging to be included in the mix. Crowded garlic begged I thin a few to throw into our stew. And finally, down below, in large pots on the floor of the greenhouse, I caught a glimmer of pink and a flash of red — low and behold the culmination of my Easter hunt — a first fistfull of easter egg and red icicle radishes to make our basket (and our dinner salad) that much better!
So, what did it save me? Well, I honestly can’t tell you exactly how much soil, water and individual seed has cost to grow these plants. But I bet it’s cost less than $5 to grow all of this (and the additional crops to come). Compare that to today’s farmer’s market prices:
- $4/bunch for sorrel
- $2.50/bunch for radishes
- $5/bag for salad mix
- $5/bag for braising greens (my closest kale comparison)
- $4/bunch for baby leeks (my closest garlic comparison)
- and I didn’t see any pansies for comparison.
Interested in growing your own food? It’s not too late to get started! Get in touch here to set up a gardening consultation now!
Help Michele Obama Keep Her Garden Chemical Free and Chemical-Lobby-Free Too
Sunday, April 12th, 2009This morning I received an email informing me that the pesticide lobby is working the Obamas to add pesticides to the White House organic vegetable garden. They may “shudder” at the thought of growing vegetables without pesticides, but I bet there are a few of us out there who shudder at the though of adding pesticides. Sure, the chemical companies pay a big role in feeding the world, but is it really necessary? I don’t think so. I know a small residential garden can be bountiful without pesticides, so why should the Obama’s residential garden have to be any different?
If you would like to read the letter from Mid America CropLife Association to the White House, go here. If you would like to sign the petition to keep the pesticides out of Michele Obama’s veggies, go here.
Victory Garden at the White House Campaign
Thursday, January 8th, 2009The idea of getting the new President to convert some of the White House Lawn back to an edible or Victory Garden has been simmering for months now. Today, the Washington Post ran an interesting historical piece on edible gardening at the White House, complete with some great photos. Read more here. The idea of growing food at the White House is not new. And what better place to set a national, if not international example, of sustainable, edible self-sufficiency? Why not use the property owned by Americans to teach Americans that they can grow food on their property and reduce the need for lawn along the way!?
And, you can join the campaign to to encourage the lawn conversion here. Do it fast! There are just over 4 days left to sign the campaign petition.
